Frank Bullitt
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Automotive Mogodon? Peugeot 307 SW 1.6HDI 90 SSome people's idea of hell, no doubt.
As noted on here before I have a little soft spot for the 307 generally and in the SW it has much of the flexibility of an MPV without actually being one - critical for me is there's loads of space in the rear seats so an adult can sit behind me (or indeed so can junior in their rear-facing seat), and the boot is a good size. I like the look of them too.
I've been keeping my eye on used prices for a while, ideal specifications etc. and popped into my local dealer which is part of a large group to see if they could find me something. Ideally a diesel, ideally an SE (climate, electric rear windows, nicer alloys) and with a budget of £7,000 absolute maximum made up of the part-ex price for the smart and a few quid we are willing to put in, so happy to take an older or higher mileage car. The local guys had a 21,000 mile 2006 '06 ex-motorbility HDI 90 S on the forecourt at £8,490 (way overpriced) and the guy rang me on Saturday to tell me his governor will do a deal with no part-ex (a trader friend will take the smart if we can't sell private). Betta be some deal.
When I got there the price had dropped to £7,990 but a 'deal' was still promised. Had a look around it, three funchal-chinglang tyres and one decent Michelin are a bad start, but the car was otherwise clean - the 15" alloys on the less powerful diesel S well-protected by the tyres. The S is a bit boggo but has all the essentials (A/C, electric front windows, glass roof and for me the leather steering wheel...I know, I know...). Time to take it for a spin, the last one I drove was a 2002 2.0HDI 110 SW about 4 years ago.
I wasn't expecting much from the HDI 90 in performance terms but my experience of HDI engines is they are so much smoother than VAG PD units; this one was no exception. At tickover it's barely auidable and when stretched it's smooth if not exactly characterful, never feeling rough. The performance wasn't great but it was perfectly up to the job, the torque (155lb/ft-ish) capable of punting it along the road with a small amount of enthusiasm; not forgetting there were three adults aboard, it was much better than expected. A remap could be on the cards so not really an issue.
I didn't get the chance to throw it around but handling-wise it felt secure if devoid of anything truly enthusiastic, the helm offering a little feel and decent grip from the funchal-chinglans - they'd be replaced by a set of Michelin's or Continental's.
The ride. Like the Modus we drove a short while back, the Peugeot once again showed where the German's get the ride sooooooo wrong - smooth, damped and quiet, it dealt with all the urban bumps and felt controlled on the open road; I'd promised my wife she'd enjoy the ride of a French car and so it was - ideal.
The worst bit of the drive? The gearbox - I'd forgotten how bad Peugeot gearboxes could be and this is no exception; anyone used to rifle-bolt or even anything above 'porridgeesque ponderance' would be disappointed. Baggy was the best you could call it. The clutch also bit quite high, so will try a few to see if this is a characteristic of if this particular motability car had been driven by Toad of Toad Hall.
The interior is everything you'd want in a family car; spacious, flexible, robust-feeling if not the best quality plastics (so what...). I like it.
The deal - not forgetting that I'd prefer an SE and a 110HDI, plenty of which can be sourced around our budget within 75 miles of home (even though they might have 35-50K on the clock), it has to be good. We got back to the dealership and the salesman scribbled on the back of a business car and handed it to me - £7,790.
Thanks for the test drive, we'll carry on looking.
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Humphrey The Pug
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On the Megane II launch a 307 HDi was one of the competitiors and I prefered it to the Megane, to the point of enquiring about an SW a few weeks later at the local Pug dealer as we were after a 7 seater, in the end we went for a Zafira though.
As for the price, we are finding Motability trade pricing is at retail money so are avoiding them. they used to be a good source of cheap decent 3 year old stock but Scenic's, for example, are around £2k over book, that's probably why your dealer couldn't do a spectacular "deal" for you.
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Frank Bullitt
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They also had a 110bhp version with only 12,000 miles on the clock which was another £500 or-so; incredibly expensive but also a Motability car. I can't imagine many people are going to be tempted at that price, so I'll keep my eyes peeled for some discounting once they've been sat around for a while, but can't imagine the 110 will come down to where it should be.
However, a bit of research tells me the pre-facelift car can also be had with the 1.6HDI engine (but with new considerably more reliable multiplex wiring) so I might save a few quid and go for late 2004/ early 2005 car.
Other than the gearbox I thought it was a lovely car to be honest; not 'petrol head' at all, but ideal for the task in hand.
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Nice Guy Eddie
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My sister had a billy basic 90bhp hdi 307. I had to drive it the 2 miles from the pub to her house. My god, I'd have rather walked then drive that again.
I appreciate we all want different things from a car but the engine to me was plain awful. It was slow so I changed down expecting it too advance at a slightly quicker rate but all it achieved was more noise. Surely a Focus estate would be better
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Martin
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I can see the space/practicality appeal, although unless you're having twins, you'd be fine with a normal hatch like oohhh say an A2..... Aren't they bigger than the A4 inside?  
However, I've driven a couple of 307s, including a hateful 1.4HDI Estate (pool car). Not for me.
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Frank Bullitt
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| Martin wrote: | | ...you'd be fine with a normal hatch like oohhh say an A2..... Aren't they bigger than the A4 inside? |
It goes something like this:
For reasons that defy logic my wife will not be letting baby in the smart. To this end, if we replace it then we buy something that's a little future-proof rather than change again in a few years. Something Clio-esque would be ideal now, but as I can't fit a child in a bulky seat older than about 3 behind me in the A2 then it's ideal as a family car (bigger than an A3, not an A4 ) for the moment.
For the next 12 months the smart can stay for me to drive but when my wife goes back to work and we share dropping-off and collecting duties then we will need another car. Apparently. Ideally we can sell while she can live without a car so get top-dollar for the smart privately.
Also budget matters for the choice - it's all very well me fancying something like a 330i touring but it's not going to happen.
NGE - it depends if your sisters car was the older 2.0 or the newer 1.6; the later engine is much smoother and lighter, certainly more free-revving.
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Martin
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We could fit a rear facing baby seat behind me in the BMW, so get a 1 series!!
On a more serious point, softer suspension (its more about firm damping actually) is not always a good idea with babys / small children. I had many car sick moments in the old Passat with it's comfort suspension and 15" wheels. It was so regular, we carried a bag with a change of clothes, towel, wipes etc!!
It wasn't just the passat either, the Megane, a Golf estate hire car and an E Class Classic all did the same thing. Never had a problem in the 130, current Passat or MINI. Even motorways did the trick......
Anyway, just a thought!!
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Frank Bullitt
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| Martin wrote: | | We could fit a rear facing baby seat behind me in the BMW, so get a 1 series!! |
From here on, I shall call you 'Umpa'! There is no chance a rear-facing seat would get behind me in a 1er - in fact, my wife couldn't even sit behind me as there is no footwell left. Then there's the boot 
Know what you mean about the ride - the A2 is firm rather than soft so let's see how junior gets on with that first - we won't be buying for a while as a family bus is based on some pretty big assumptions.
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Martin
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6'2....honestly!
It depends on the angle of the seat base, the angle you set the backrest at and the shape of the seat. Ours was on a base, maybe that helped. I had the seat a notch or so forward from ideal, but that's not an issue and worth it for a car that's good to drive!
There was no chance of an adult sitting behind me, but you have to get a much bigger car for that anyway. The boot is ok, not for a fortnight away maybe, but a full quinny buzz travel system (with the pram attachment or the pushchair) would go in if you unclipped one of the wheel (quick release with one button).
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